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Surrounding Counties - Cheatham, Dickson, Montgomery, Rutherford, Sumner, Wilson, Williamson, Maury, etc.

Rural King

By Rural King
in Nashville

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titanhog
titanhog

Some photos and illustrations from the EOA Architects website on the SRM HQ being built in Smyrna near the intersection of I-840 and Jefferson Pike.  This is the anchor for a potential office park / r

markhollin
markhollin

Murfreesboro (courtesy of Robert Willis Jr.):

markhollin
markhollin

Williamson County: First Bank Amphitheater (7,500 capacity) and Graystone Quarry (multiple event spaces on 150 acres site) recently started its 3rd season. It has been nominated for Pollstar Outdoor V

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bigeasy Burg

bigeasy

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New Music City Star train station approved for Lebanon neighborhood

http://www.bizjournals.com/nashville/blog/2015/05/new-music-city-star-train-station-approved-for.html

 

I didn't realize usage of the train was so low, especially having the 2nd lowest avg passenger trips a day.The station I used to live near in Hermitage always looked crowded.  Do they just not have enough capacity? Or are they moving with lots of empty seats? 

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Nathan_in_DC Burg

Nathan_in_DC

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Great to hear they're going ahead with the new station, hopefully it will help ridership some. Unfortunately, as long as the number of trains per day stays as low as it is, I fear we'll never see very high ridership. Only a certain few people work within walking distance of Riverfront Station, and having to wait for a connector bus is what drives a lot of people away. Lack of predictability (of the busses) and connectivity (isolation of the station) is a killer in any transit system.

Building the line into a corner like they did was terrible planning for a whole litany of reasons (single platform and track at the terminal, location in a spot that is not expandable or open to extension, location not convenient to state offices, lack of sidings to allow for more frequent trains, too many at-grade crossings).

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PruneTracy Burg

PruneTracy

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Building the line into a corner like they did was terrible planning for a whole litany of reasons (single platform and track at the terminal, location in a spot that is not expandable or open to extension, location not convenient to state offices, lack of sidings to allow for more frequent trains, too many at-grade crossings).

 

Thing is, they didn't build it. It was, and is, an existing Nashville and Eastern track, which is why the RTA chose Lebanon as the connection for its pilot program rather than more populated corridors. The line already went to the riverfront, servicing the thermal plant. The only construction needed for the Star was track rehabilitation and stations, which kept costs down compared to services in other cities on new track and right-of-way.

 

I agree that the station is unfortunately placed, but there's really nowhere else for it to go without incurring very significant expenses. I would imagine most residents would rather have Riverfront Park on the west bank than commuter rail tracks, and we all know how uncooperative CSX is when it comes to lending their lines for other uses.

 

Hopefully the growth in SoBro will help to increase ridership. Bridgestone headquarters will be one-third of a mile away, same as the proposed LifeWay headquarters. The Hayes project is half of that distance.

 

The Music City Star should be a good lesson for people as to the type of end product we get when we go the penny pinching/bare minimum route with mass transit. 

 

At the time it was built, the Star was the most cost-effective commuter rail project in the nation. Other cities (e.g., Seattle, Denver) spent much more on their systems, new lines through high-value areas, and received diminishing returns for their trouble.

 

I'm all for commuter rail, and mass transit in general, and not just because I get paid to write planning reports about it. But I'm also a big fan of working with what we have rather than spending a dollar to get a penny back. That means, as a start, working with friendly operators who have existing tracks to Clarksville and Lebanon, establishing regular service, and encouraging development along those lines. Hamilton Springs, while a beotchization of the TOD concept, is a step in that direction.

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rookzie Burg

rookzie

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I didn't realize usage of the train was so low, especially having the 2nd lowest avg passenger trips a day.The station I used to live near in Hermitage always looked crowded.  Do they just not have enough capacity? Or are they moving with lots of empty seats? 

 

bigeasy, that's a whole big ol' discussion in its own right.  We've talked about that at length during the last two years, so I'll refrain from repetive-motion syndrome with the keyboard here.  You can sniff out the meat on the MCS from the Mass Transit, Transportation, and Bits'n'Pieces threads during the last 2 3 calendar years.

 

Just keep in mind that, with respect to standard FRA-equipment commuter-rail systems (heavy railroad stuff), the MCS is about the worst performing one in nation.  It's was the cheapest in terms of start-up costs, but it also consistently has been the most underperfoming one, as far as growth in ridership is concerned.  Nearly every other start-up domestic commuter-rail and light-rail system has had it's initial periodic patronage expectations exceeded; not with this one.  You only get what you pay for, and also there has to be a well defined need along with a well orchestrated means of fulfillment, in order for comm-rail to work.  This aint it.  Look at the hand-me-down ex-Metra (Metropolitan Rail of Chicago) and ex-VRE (Virginia Railway Express of Northern Va.) bi-level gallery commuter cars.  They're rusting on the roofs and could stand a decent paint job after 9 years of operation.  Interior and external shabbiness are a telltale sign of the marginal concern and support for this service.

 

 

Great to hear they're going ahead with the new station, hopefully it will help ridership some. Unfortunately, as long as the number of trains per day stays as low as it is, I fear we'll never see very high ridership. Only a certain few people work within walking distance of Riverfront Station, and having to wait for a connector bus is what drives a lot of people away. Lack of predictability (of the busses) and connectivity (isolation of the station) is a killer in any transit system.

Building the line into a corner like they did was terrible planning for a whole litany of reasons (single platform and track at the terminal, location in a spot that is not expandable or open to extension, location not convenient to state offices, lack of sidings to allow for more frequent trains, too many at-grade crossings).

 

The Music City Star should be a good lesson for people as to the type of end product we get when we go the penny pinching/bare minimum route with mass transit. 

 

They've talked about Hamilton Springs station for about 3 years now, so I only can pretend to be surprised.  With the modest gain in ridership at the HS station possibly rising over time, point-to-point running time will be increased also, which, along with extremely limited scheduling and frequency, makes the service even less attractive for a commuter, given the current set-up. [the lipsticked pig]

By now, service demands on a well-implemented commuter-rail network would have warranted acquisition of new equipment, at least once, and possibly a second order, of stainless-steel bodied cars and locomotives, with justifiable projections and expansions.  Domestic regional rail systems generally defined as "commuter rail' differ immensely in their level-of-service provisions.  The MCS six trains per day both ways combined, on a single route line, weekdays only (with an additional R-T on Friday evenings) is a far cry from the multi-lines of more comprehensive systems.

As commuter-rail stations are primarily suburban, locating the MCS' eastern terminus (Lebanon station) along a highway accessible only by private car subtracts predictably from rider attraction.  At least the new station of the planned basic transit-oriented community of Hamilton Springs is oriented in the middle of walkable neighborhood.  The existing Hermitage and Donelson stations, while more accessible in terms of proximity from suburban sprawl, are not really in walkable-friendly communities. (compare this to Libertyville and Glenview IL, Wakefield, MA, or Darien CT)  These logistical decisions (or absence thereof) are reflected in ridership.  On the urban end, dumping riders a half hour and up to two transfers away from a commuter's destination (train-bus and bus-bus), rather than directly into the middle of a central business district, is yet another negative of the current MCS.  Serving a multi-centric region requires frequent, bi-directional service that connects not just to Downtown but to other activity centers as well, and an infrequently available, rush-hour only, downtown-focused single-line system will not be very effective.

In addition to these shortcomings mentioned, what severely (if not morbidly) limits the viability of the MCS is that it's only a single branch component of what really would have to be a much more comprehensive rail network, with a more centrally located and connectable terminal facility, in order to be truly usable.  It also would have to offer reasonable reverse-commuting operation during most of a working day, even with sharply reduced frequency during "owl" periods.  As it stands, and as much as I might have an apparent bias toward the rails, the current MCS provides no marked advantage above express-bus service utilizing a series of motor coaches along dedicated runways and given absolute priority approach to a terminal.  Even though commuter-rail in theory inherently is far more efficient in advanced mass-transit transport than buses, in consideration of the quantities of "a$$-hauling" per operator mile, and in durability and longevity of the physical plant, a true commuter-rail network is very costly to build and to sustain.

One of many typical expenses was a recent arrangement (April) to transfer an RTA (MCS) locomotive to the CSX Radnor Yard roundhouse for wheel cutting, to restore to proper contour by correcting wheel wear defects such as flat spots and shelling.  These "hidden overhead" costs add up as tremendous operation expenses, the effects of which are amplified with routinely low ridership along a single route line.  In turn this leads to "de-justification" of support for such a skeletal MCS and provides fodder for naysayers of rail-bound transit.

-==-

 

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MetroTN Whistle-Stop

MetroTN

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Well, I have felt that Murfreesboro can certainly support more DD's. I see them more of them opening in the future. One near the Avenue would be nice.

 

Found out today from an employee at the DD on S Church St that a third location will open "near campus." Perhaps it will be in the new commercial building proposed at the corner of Main St and Rutherford Blvd. 

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opendrawerwhore Whistle-Stop

opendrawerwhore

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I stopped in the Church street location today.  it was a nice and more cost effective alternative to Star Bucks.  I'll be returning as I was given 1.99 iced coffee coupons.

 

BTW I used the Joe B. Jackson exit to get to I-24 this morning and it save me almost 10 minutes!  What a blessing that exit will be!

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MetroTN Whistle-Stop

MetroTN

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I would but I already have plans Saturday. I guess I'll start following that meet thread for future meetings. I know whats going on here so I could actually contribute. Lack of knowledge regarding Nashville projects, as well as inability to keep them all straight, keeps me from coming to those meetings. 

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Nathan_in_DC Burg

Nathan_in_DC

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Village of tiny homes proposed in Murfreesboro to help homeless veterans

http://wkrn.com/2015/06/10/village-of-tiny-homes-proposed-in-murfreesboro-to-help-homeless-veterans/

 

 

I couldn't help but think of Zoolander when reading this... 

 

"What is this? A center for ANTS?!"

 

(Seems like a cool development, actually.)

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opendrawerwhore Whistle-Stop

opendrawerwhore

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Traveling through the 'Boro yesterday I noticed that on just about every corner or major intersection there are beggars and panhandlers.  I know some must be down and out but are there not agencies for them?  I think that most of the folks can be working someplace.  It has become a very disturbing sight to see on every corner in town. 

 

James Opendra

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Nathan_in_DC Burg

Nathan_in_DC

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There certainly are resources available, the quality of which depends on the region. We have recently had an issue with aggressive panhandling in my neighborhood, and some neighbors and I have been working with the local police and homeless services organization to stop it. Many of the people gladly accepted the assistance offered, however many refused. They could have many reasons, ranging from paranoid schizophrenia that prevents them from trusting authorities to simply not wanting to improve their situation. There are, unfortunately, way to many of the refusals. I feel deep sorrow and concern for those who's medical condition prevents them from accepting help, and see it as a sign of the sorry state of our mental health system. Those who refuse because they'd rather just panhandle, however, do not receive much sympathy from me.

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